Morara Kebaso: In Kenya, thieves are judged by how smart they steal
Political activist and businessman Morara Kebaso has stated that the Kenyan society has normalised theft to the point of admiring “clever thieves”.
In a statement on Saturday, August 30, 2025, using a vivid example, Kebaso argued that if someone was caught stealing millions and attempting to flee, the public would not condemn the crime itself but instead ridicule the thief for being caught.
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“In Kenya, if you steal Ksh5 million from your employer and you get arrested at the Namanga border trying to cross into TZ, they will say, ‘Huyu ni mjinga wa wapi huyu. Unaiba aje alafu unashikwa? Ingekua mimi hawangenishika.”
He went on to lament that this mindset reflects the deeper rot in the country, where corruption is not despised but glamorised depending on how ‘smartly’ it is executed.
“And you wonder why your country is messed up? Okay. Keep wondering, Mr & Mrs Wonderer,” he added with sarcasm.
Ruto on corruption
His remarks come a few days after President William Ruto warned that corruption across all arms of government poses the greatest danger to the 2010 Constitution, 15 years after its promulgation.
Speaking during the inaugural Katiba Day celebrations at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, Ruto said entrenched graft has weakened key institutions and denied Kenyans the full benefits of the charter.
“It is a fact that corruption exists in all arms of government—the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary—and each must confront this menace with honesty and resolve,” he said.
The President acknowledged that even within the executive branch, corruption remains “alarmingly high” despite recent efforts to tighten internal systems.
He said his administration has automated and digitised more than 22,000 government services to close loopholes, boosting daily revenue collection from Ksh60 million to over Ksh1 billion — or more than Ksh500 billion annually.
“Corruption must be chased down every alley, every corridor, and every corner of the Executive by every well-meaning citizen whenever it is spotted,” he added.
Ruto challenged Parliament and the Judiciary to clean up their own houses, questioning whether MPs would be “counted among those who enforce accountability or those who undermine the Constitution by entrenching corruption.”
He also urged the judiciary to address public concerns around corruption in the courts.
